11-26-2003 Council Workshop Minutes

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 26, 2003 program as it was developed after the highway project was completed and in place. Gibbens agreed that if there is an active plat approved by the City prior to May 1, 2004, then a noise wall would be incorporated into the Unweave the Weave project for this gap in the Twin Lake area. MN DOT would have to review the plat. Anderson asked if the City could guarantee a certain density level of development in this Twin Lake area in order to get a noise wall in this area. Pafko replied that that guarantee would be the approved plat. Wasko reported that Federal rules say that there must be an approved plat or the development already in place. The City Administrator asked if the two walls along Country Drive could be traded for other wall sections or traded for drainage improvements. Pafko replied that Federal regulations would not allow this. Wasko pointed out that the noise wall in front of Quebec Apartments meets all the Federal criteria. The wall in front of the two houses on Country Drive, however, does not meet the cost-effectiveness test. Therefore, the elimination of that non-cost effective piece of wall would help the entire noise wall project and may allow for another piece to fill in one of the gap areas. Fahey stated that his position would be to eliminate the piece of wall in front of the two Country Drive houses. He noted that the property is zoned commercial and will eventually be redeveloped as such. Paflco suggested that if the billboard issue can be resolved along County Road D east of Edgerton, that noise wall could be installed. However, the gap further east on County Road D, just north of Cn•eenbrier, is not likely to be cost-effective. Pafko stated that if a plat can be approved for the Twin Lake area prior to May 1", a noise wall could be installed in that location. LaValle suggested that the Quebec Apartments were a blighted property that is likely to redevelop. Therefore, his position was to remove this section of noise wall. Wasko noted that this section is both cost-effective and acoustically effective. Elimination of this section is not likely to help the noise wall component of the project. Wasko stated that the noise wall on County Road D east of Edgerton Street is close to meeting the cost- effective test. Should the City participate in the cost, that section could be installed. Wasko estimated the City's cost at between $12,000 and $15,000 out of a total cost of $270,000 for this section of wall. The